Shiro pushed the window open.
He rushed inside and let out a sharp, panicked,
"MEOW!"
Shiro skidded to the base of the glowing cocoon and immediately began clawing at it. His paws sank in for a split second before slipping right back out, like he was striking thick liquid. But he didn't stop.
He couldn't stop.
He didn't understand what had swallowed Gasper, one moment he opened a vial, the next he was trapped inside this… thing. So Shiro scratched. And scratched.
Minutes passed.
And eventually half an hour passed.
Tears streamed down Shiro's face, sliding off his fur and splattering onto the floor. He kept slashing at the cocoon, which had begun to harden in slow, rhythmic pulses. He pushed mana into his claws, digging desperately.
But he didn't even leave a scratch.
Eventually, his strength failed. His paws trembled, body sagging until he collapsed at the base of the cocoon. He curled up against it, the surface throbbing gently like a heartbeat.
Shiro pressed his forehead on the floor and began to sob,
To him, it looked like Gasper had been eaten by some alien liquid… something that might be dissolving him right now, digesting him like he was just food.
And Shiro could do nothing but cry for the friend he thought he was losing.
His body shook with each breath, paws curled helplessly against the floor.
Then,
A glow pulsed from within the cocoon.
Shiro's ears flicked. He lifted his head, tears clinging to his fur.
A tiny red star, formed deep within the swirling blue shell. The cocoon began to glow in slow, steady pulses.
Shiro froze.
He heard something.
Shhhhh…
It was faint, but it sounded like someone sleeping.
He pressed a paw against the hardened surface. Still warm. Still alive.
Instinctively, he reached out with his senses, pushing his mana deep into the cocoon, into what his eyes couldn't reach.
Something answered.
A signature.
Gasper's.
And it was stronger than what he remembered.
Shiro's eyes widened… then softened.
'He's… okay….' Shiro realized. Relief crashed into him so suddenly his legs nearly folded.
He curled up at the base of the cocoon, tail wrapping around his body, eyes locked on the faint red star pulsing at its center.
He let out a shaky breath and settled there, heart finally easing.
Whatever this was…
Gasper was alive.
And that was all that mattered.
Minutes blended into hours.
The cocoon shifted from bright blue to a heated, glowing red, waves of warmth radiating off it. The star at its center grew brighter.
Inside, a silhouette became clearer, shoulders, hands, hair drifting weightlessly in the red glow.
And Shiro stayed where he was, unmoving.
Watching.
Waiting.
Refusing to leave him.
*****
(25 days later, August 23, 2006)
Shiro lay curled on a couch, tail flicking lazily.
Koneko sat beside him, quietly listening as the red-haired girl in front of them spoke.
"…and that's why the Occult Research Club needs to help Sona win," Rias said with a sigh. "It's her first time running. If she loses, she'll never let me hear the end of it."
Shiro lifted his head just enough to glance at her, then let it drop back down with a soft thump.
Koneko looked at him, then at Rias. "Shiro says you're stressing too much."
Rias frowned. "He didn't say anything."
"He doesn't have to," Koneko replied, completely serious.
Shiro flicked his tail once, as if agreeing.
Rias let out another sigh. "Well, either way… a school election shouldn't be this much trouble."
Akeno, sitting on the couch across from Shiro and Koneko, let out a soft laugh behind her hand.
Shiro, through all of this, wasn't listening at all.
Even while lying on the couch, tail limp and eyes half-open, his mind was completely elsewhere.
His gaze stayed fixed on the clock hanging on the wall.
Tick… tick… tick…
12:29…
His ears twitched.
12:30.
In an instant, Shiro pushed himself up onto his paws.
Before anyone could react, he leapt off the couch and jumped straight onto Rias's desk, landing with a soft thump. Papers rustled, a pen rolled off the edge, and Rias jerked slightly in surprise.
"Sh-Shiro?" Rias blinked, clearly not expecting the sudden burst of movement from the quiet cat who'd been half-asleep seconds earlier.
Before she could say another word, Shiro sprang off the desk, landing lightly on the windowsill. With one quick flick of his tail, he slipped through the open window and disappeared outside without a sound.
Rias stared at the window, baffled. "…What was that about?"
Koneko's gaze followed hers, eyes narrowing slightly. She didn't say a word.
*****
Shiro padded carefully along the edges of the building, making his way toward the window that led into Gasper's room. By now, this had become a daily routine for him. At exactly 12:30 every day, without fail, he'd slip inside to check on Gasper.
Even without thumbs, Shiro had developed a fondness for Gasper's PXP, though he might have accidentally deleted some saved data once… oops. Probably wasn't important anyway, but that wasn't the main reason he came. His priority was making sure Gasper was okay, and seeing if he'd awakened yet.
There have also been some changes, especially during the first week, Gasper himself seemed to be expanding inside the cocoon, the heat radiating so strongly it threatened to overwhelm the room. Gradually, the temperature subsided, and the cocoon shifted to a deep purple. but that had only happened a couple of days ago.
Of course, Shiro had his own motivations, too. He couldn't resist helping himself to one of the delicious chicken breasts in Gasper's fridge. He could understand why Gasper had locked himself away, no distractions, no one bothering him, food and games all day long. Still, Shiro knew he had to come out eventually. He couldn't make anyone suspicious about where he was. A cat had to play it cool.
As he reached the window, he thought to himself, 'better not get my hopes up.'
He jumped into the room and began making his way toward the kitchen. But before he could leave the main room with the cocoon inside, he heard a noise that didn't belong.
He froze, turning toward the sound, and then he saw it.
CRACK.
Shiro's eyes widened. There was a crack, a crack in the cocoon.
The faint creak… of the shell shifting echoed through the room.
Then a soft pop, snap… followed by the low rumble of the cocoon splitting further.
Small shards of the shimmering shell rattled and tumbled to the floor with a tink.
Shiro's fur bristled as the cocoon continued to crackle and shiver, pieces falling away as if the entire structure were collapsing.
Eventually, everything fell apart, leaving a single somewhat muscular figure standing beneath the sunlight streaming through the open window Shiro had left ajar. His eyes were closed, his stance calm and unyielding.
Then, as if by magic, yellow-and-green pants materialized on his lower half. Long blonde hair waved in a wind that didn't exist.
The figure rested his left arm fully on his abdomen, wrapping it around his waist, while his right arm lifted, the hand held directly in front of his face, fingers relaxed in a peculiar, almost bizarre way.
Then he twisted his body, giving Shiro a clear view of his left shoulder, and there it was, the same light red star that had adorned the Cocoon.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. Bright red, piercing with intensity, that they seemed to stare straight into Shiro's soul.
But just as quickly, that intensity faded, replaced by a look of sheer confusion. After a moment of bewildered silence, Gasper finally muttered,
"A… cat?"
←–TO BE CONTINUED—